In bringing up children, every parent, regardless of ethnicity, income, education, or geographic location, watches eagerly the child's acquisition of each new skill. However, it is often tempting to hurry the child beyond his natural learning rate, which can set up dangerous feelings of failure and states of worry in the child. This might happen at any stage. A baby might be forced to use a toilet too early, a young child might be encouraged to learn to read before he knows the meaning of the words he reads. On the other hand, though, if a child is left alone too much, or without any learning opportunities, he loses his natural enthusiasm for life and his desire to find out new things for himself. Parents vary greatly in their degree of strictness towards their children. Some may be especially strict in money matters. Others are severe over times of coming home at night or punctuality for meals. In general, the controls imposed represent the needs of the parents and the values of the community as much as the child's own benefit.

888. According to the passage, in the process of children's learning new skills, parents

(a) must encourage them to read before they know the meaning of the
words they read

(b) should achieve a balance between pushing them too hard and leaving
them on their own

(c) never expect too much of their children

(d) should create as many learning opportunities as possible for themselves

889. It is pointed out in the reading that

(a) parents should be strict with their children

(b) parental controls reflect only the needs of the parents and the values
of the community

(c) parents must maintain strict control over their children's pocket money

(d) parental restrictions vary, and are not always enforced for the benefit
of the children alone

890. As we understand from the passage, watching the child's acquisition of new skills